B-cell CSF

About

Knowledge regarding MS pathogenesis is largely derived from animal models or studies on peripheral blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients. Cellular analyses of these samples have been limited to low resolution flow cytometric assessments of immune cell populations, and have been unable to provide significant insights into MS pathogenesis, prognosis, or response to therapy.

This study aims to understand disease pathogenesis at an unprecedented cellular resolution and to study people with diseases similar to MS that may be confused with MS. These diseases include, but are not limited to, neuromyelitis optica, an autoimmune disease that affects the optic nerves and spinal cord, and anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (anti-MOG) syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that degrades the myelin of oligodendrocytes in the optic nerve, brain, and spinal cord. People with non-MS related neurological conditions as well as healthy subjects will be studied as well for comparison purposes.